Shuttle checking device



Dec. 28, 1965 c. L. HUFFMAN, JR, ET AL 3,225,793

SHUTTLE CHECKING DEVICE Original Filed March 2, 1964 INVENTORS CoY L. HUFFMAN, JR. 8

ROBERT LEE SPR\NGFIELD ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofi ice 3,225,793 Patented Dec. 28, 1965 This invention relates to a shuttle checking device and more particularly to an improved shuttle binder capable of operating without repair on high speed looms over extended periods of time.

This is a continuation of our copending application, Serial No. 348,343, entitled Shuttle Checking Device, filed March 2, 1964, now abandoned.

Shuttle binders covered with leather have long been used on looms. With the advent of high speed looms many attempts have been made to solve the problem of excessive wear on the binder. Attempts to solve this problem have included the use of cushioning material as well as attempts to leave an air space between portions of the binder engaged initially by the shuttle and the remainder of the binder wood. It has been found that excessive heat, generated by the friction between the shuttle and the leather when the shuttle contacts the leather repeatedly at close intervals and at high speed, accounts for a greater portion of the wear. While efforts have been made to dissipate such heat through the use of air spaces, none have been successful because the element receiving the shuttle nad its connection to the shuttle wood are not capable of withstanding successive impacts by the. shuttle in practical operation.

Accordingly, it is an important object of this invention to provide an improved shuttle binder capable of minimizing the heat generated by repeated engagement with the shuttle during weaving.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a means for reducing wear on a shuttle binder capable of withstanding successive impacts by the shuttle during weaving.

Another object of the invention is to provide an air space type means for dissipating heat generated by shuttle contact with the binder to thus minimize wear on the binder leather so that the resulting binder is capable of operating over prolonged periods without alteration, thus prolonging the life of the binder leather and reducing labor and machine down-time.

The construction designed to carry out the invention will be hereinafter described, together with other features thereof.

The invention will be more readily understood from a reading of the following specification and by reference to the accompanying drawing forming a part thereof, wherein an example of the invention is shown and wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view illustrating a loom shuttle box equipped with a binder constructed in accordance with the present invention,

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged perspective view illustrating a binder constructed in accordance with the present invention,

FIGURE 3 is a sectional plan view of the binder illustrated in figures 1 and 2, and

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional elevation taken on the line 44 in FIGURE 3.

The drawing illustrates a loom shuttle box having shuttle receiving members. An elongated longitudinally disposed wooden binder element A has a curved portion adjacent the shuttle receiving end thereof. A relatively thin flat wooden member B substantially conforms to the shuttle receiving surface of the wooden element. It is important that member B be densified or otherwise fortified :in comparison to the wooden binder element to the extent that good flexing and impact resisting qualities are provided to withstand repeated impacts by the shuttle.

Means C are provided for fastening the wooden member B to the wooden element A forwardly of the portion receiving the shuttle on initial impact, and fastening the wooden member to the wooden element adjacent the rear thereof in substantially overlying relation thereof. An air space D is defined between the wooden element and the wooden member. The usual strip of leather and the like, substantially covers the shuttle engaging surface of said wooden member.

The loom shuttle box includes a box front 10 fastened by bolts 11 to the lay end plate 12 of a loom. A picker stick is designated at 13 and rocks back and forth within the usual slot 14. The shuttle 15 is received between the binder, the wood of which is designated at A, and the box front 10 prior to its reception by the picker 16, which is carriedby the picker stick 13. The binder wood A is mounted upon a pin 17 carried by the lay end plate, and a fiber bearing 18 is provided to protect the binder wood from excessive wear. A metal strip 19 protects the butt of the binder wood and is fastened thereon as by a rivet 19a. A leaf spring 20 is fastened as by screws 21 to the lay end plate, and serves to resiliently bias the free end of the binder wood A inwardly so as to exert a checking action upon the shuttle 15 as it is received within the shuttle box. A protective strip 22 engages an abutment 23 for limiting the outward movement of the binder wood A responsive to the impact of the shuttle 15 when it is received.

A flat formed wooden member B is fastened at both ends thereof on the inner shuttle receiving face of the shuttle wood A. The member B may preferably be formed and fortified, prior to its application to the binder wood by heat and pressure after chemical treatment, although laminated, or otherwise, fortified wood stock having substantial flexural strength would be desirable. Other known forming processes such as bending, may be used but it is desirable that the fiat member B be constructed to generally conform to the inner surface of the binder wood in as easy and expeditious a manner as possible. It is desirable that the member B be constructed of fiat stock uniform cross-section, capable of dissipating heat and withstanding successive impacts by the shuttle during weaving. For example, such treatment of wood as is described in connection with portions of a picker stick in United States Letters Patent No. 2,488,301, issued November 15, 1949 to C. B. Lundstrom, would be satisfactory. It has been found that densified or otherwise treated, formed wood makes possible the provision of the air space through its ability to withstand the constant flexing resulting from successive impacts by the shuttle. For example, if a strip of most known metals were used in lieu of the flat densified wooden member, the metal would crystallize at its points of maximum flexure in the area of contact by the shuttle. It is thought that the member B could be constructed of certain Fiberglas stock.

The means C for fastening the wooden member B to the wooden element A are provided in the fonm of a hollow internally threaded element 24a having a head 25 thereon. A threaded shank 26 is received within the element 24a. A sleeve 24 is preferably constructed of a deformable polymeric material such as Teflon and carried by the element 24a. The shank 26 has head 27 thereon. It will be noted that the member B is countersunk as at 25a to receive the head 25, while the wooden member A is countersunk on one side of the sleeve receiving bore therein as at 27a to receive the head 27. It is important that the fastening element C be provided With a yielding element, such as the sleeve indicated at 24, in order to yieldingly resist the extensive thrust created by the tendency of the member B to be flatened closing the air space when engaged by the shuttle. The sleeve also insures a tight fastening and avoids unthreading of the shank 26 through vibration since the sleeve 24 is preferably slightly longer than the bore in the wooden element A. The means C provide a further advantage in that the member B and its leather covering may be changed when desired without removing the binder from the loom thus minimizing down time.

It will be noted that the binder wood A has a flat surface 28 in substantial alignment with the path of the shuttle when in boxed position. Thus, the curve 29, in the area of initial contact by the shuttle (preferably closely adjacent the crest of the curve as illustrated in FIGURE 1), is not so pronounced as is normally the casewith other shuttle binders. This results in minimum lateral displacement of the shuttle wood during boxing and a maximum area of engagement by the binder leather 30 with the shuttle rearwardly of the curve. This is important because when conventional binders are displaced on engagement by the shuttle on initial impact and return no checking or shuttle receiving or engaging surface is avail able except that adjacent the curve. The binder leather 30 is suitably fastened over the member B as by adhesive 31. By reference to FIGURE 1, it will be noted that the air space D which is defined between the densified wooden member B and the binder wood A, tends to close upon engagement by the shuttle and that such closing continues as the shuttle progresses into the box to be received by the picker 16. It has been found that a boxing area eight to nine inches in depth is afforded by a binder constructed in accordance with the present inver1- tion. An air space of inches has been found satisfactory, and it may be removed from the surface of the element A or it may be formed in the member B. As shown in the drawing, such air space has been formed by removal of wood of the element A. The portion of the binder wood rearwardly of the crest of the curve 29 is preferably of generally uniform cross-section as described above and illustrated in the drawing.

Shuttle binders, of the types formerly used in common practice, when used on high speed looms, sometimes have the leather thereof actually burned into the wood. It has been found that, on XD looms operated at 198 picks per minute, the average wooden binder lasts four to six weeks before new leather is necessary. Experimental binders constructed in accordance with the present invention have been running over one year under such conditions without repairs of any kind being required.

While a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described using specific terms, such description is for illustrative purposes oniy, and it is to be understood that changes and variations may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the following claims.

What is claimed is:

1. For use in a loom shuttle box, a shuttle binder comprising, an elongated longitudinally disposed element having a curved portion adjacent a shuttle receiving end thereof for receiving the shuttle on initial impact, and an inner substantially fiat surface extending rearwardly therefrom substantially in alignment with the elongated element so that the adjacent portion of the elongated element has a substantially uniform cross-section, a relatively thin flat formed member substantially conforming to the inner surface of the elongated element, said thin flat member being constructed from material capable of dissipating heat and withstanding flexing and impact from the shuttle during weaving, means fastening the thin flat member to the elongated element adjacent the forward end of the elongated element, means fastening the thin flat member to the elongated element adjacent the rear end thereof, said fastening means resisting thrust longitudinally of the thin flat member caused by engagement of the binder by the shuttle, said thin flat member being in substantially overlying relationship to the elongated element, an air space between the elongated element and the thin flat member extending between the fastening means, and a shuttle engaging leather-like strip substantially covering the thin flat member.

2. For use in a loom shuttle box, a binder having an elongated longitudinally disposed wooden element having a curved portion adjacent a shuttle receiving end thereof for receiving the shuttle upon entry into the box and a shuttle receiving portion extending rearwardly thereof, the improvement including, a separate relatively thin flat member substantially conforming to the inner surface of the elongated element, said thin flat member being constructed from fortified wood capable of dissipating heat and withstanding flexing and impact from the shuttle during weaving, means fastening the thin flat member to the elongated element forwardly of the portion of the binder receiving the shuttle on initial impact, means fastening the thin flat member to the elongated element adjacent the rear of the shuttle engaging portion of the binder, said thin flat member being in substantially overlying relationship to the elongated element, an air space between the elongated element and the thin flat member extending between the fastening means, and a shuttle engaging leather-like strip substantially covering a shuttle receiving portion of said thin flat member opposite said shuttle receiving portion of the elongated element.

3. For use in a loom shuttle box, a binder having an elongated longitudinally disposed wooden element having a curved portion adjacent a shuttle receiving end thereof for receiving the shuttle upon entry into the box and a shuttle receiving portion extending rearwardly thereof, the improvement including, a separate relatively thin flat member substantially conforming to the inner surface of the elongated element, said thin fiat member being constructed from fortified material capable of dissipating heat and withstanding flexing and impact from the shuttle during Weaving, means fastening the thin flat member to the elongated element forwardly of the portion of the binder receiving the shuttle on initial impact, means fastening the thin flat member to the elongated element adjacent the rear of the shuttle engaging portion of the binder, said thin flat member being in substantially overlying relationship to the elongated element, an air space between the elongated element and the thin flat member extending between the fastening means substantially entirely across said shuttle receiving portion of the wooden element, and a shuttle engaging leather-like strip substantially covering a shuttle receiving portion of said thin fiat member opposite said shuttle receiving portion of the elongated element.

4. For use in a loom shuttle box, a shuttle binder having a shuttle receiving portion comprising, an elongated longitudinally disposed element having a curved portion adjacent a shuttle receiving end thereof for receiving the shuttle on initial impact, and an inner substantially flat surface extending rearwardly therefrom substantially in alignment with the path of the shuttle on entry into the shuttle box for receiving the shuttle as it progresses into the box, a separate relatively thin flat formed member substantially conforming to the inner surface of the elongated element in the shuttle receiving portion of the binder, said thin fiat member being capable of dissipating heat and withstanding flexing and impact from the shuttle during Weaving, means fastening the thin flat member 5 6 to the elongated element in substantially overlying rela- References Cited by the Examiner tionship to the elongated element, an air space between UNITED STATES PATENTS the elongated element and the thin flat member extending substantially entirely across and along the shuttle 25: receiving portion of the blnder and a shuttle engaging 5 3,016,483 11/1961 Pruitt et a1- 139 185 leather-like strip substantially covering the thin flat mem her in the shuttle receiving portion of the binder, whereby RQBERT M ACKEY Acting Primary Examiner checking may be accomplished substantially entirely across said shuttle receiving portion of the binder after DONALD PARKER Exammer" initial impact. 10 H. S. IAUDON, Assistant Examiner. 

1. FOR USE IN A LOOM SHUTTLE BOX, A SHUTTLE BINDER COMPRISING, AN ELONGATED LONGITUDINALLY DISPOSED ELEMENT HAVING A CURVED PORTION ADJACENT A SHUTTLE RECEIVING END THEREOF FOR RECEIVING THE SHUTTLE ON INITIAL IMPACT, AND AN INNER SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT SURFACE EXTENDING REARWARDLY THEREFROM SUBSTANTIALLY IN ALIGNMENT WITH THE ELONGATED ELEMENT SO THAT THE ADJACENT PORTION OF THE ELONGATED ELEMENT HAS A SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM CROSS-SECTION, A RELATIVELY THIN FLAT FORMED MEMBER SUBSTANTIALLY CONFORMING TO THE INNER SURFACE OF THE ELONGATED ELEMENT, SAID THIN FLAT MEMBER BEING CONSTRUCTED FROM MATERIAL CAPABLE OF DISSIPATING HEAT AND WITHSTANDING FLEXING AND IMPACT FROM THE SHUTTLE DURING WEAVING, MEANS FASTENING THE THIN FLAT MEMBER TO THE ELOMGATED ELEMENT ADJACENT THE FORWARD END OF THE ELONGATED ELEMENT, MEANS FASTENING THE THIN FLAT MEMBER TO THE ELONGATED ELEMENT ADJACENT THE REAR END THEREOF, SAID FASTENING MENAS RESISTING THRUST LONGITUDINALLY OF THE THIN FLAT MEMBER CAUSED BY ENGAGEMENT OF THE BINDER BY THE SHUTTLE, SAID THIN FLAT MEMBER BEING IN SUBSTANTIALLY OVERLYING RELATIONSHIP TO THE ELONGATED ELEMENT, AN AIR SPACE BETWEEN THE ELONGATED ELEMENT AND THE THIN FLAT MEMBER EXTENDING BETWEEN THE FASTENING MEANS, AND A SHUTTLE ENGAGING LEATHER-LIKE STRIP SUBSTANTIALLY COVERING THE THIN FLAT MEMBER. 